Recovery and Redemption
by Elycat
Summary: Having escaped at last, Riku is discovered by the trio at Traverse Town and meets a young ninja who may help him at last shake off the scars of his previous experiences. RikuxYuffie. Title is subject to change.


_A/N - I have always loved this pairing, though I have no idea why. And I also like writing angst fanfics, which Riku lends himself to particularly well... -cough-  
Anyway, this isn't really a oneshot, but it might not be continued. Because I'm lazy. o-O So please don't hurt me if you like it and it never gets updated... heh. Because I have a dozen other things I need to be writing, too... and I'm procrastinating on THEM too. XD If I do continue it - well, it might be a happy ending and it might not. Just depends on how evil and sadistic I'm feeling at the time...  
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Riku moaned in his sleep. Realizing what he must be dreaming about, Yuffie took his hand in hers and squeezed it comfortingly, kneeling by the side of his bed. A few minutes later, he cried out, flinching back and flinging an arm over his face, trembling. Yuffie caught one word from his fearful whimpers. "Ansem…"

"It's okay," Yuffie whispered, her heart breaking again to see Riku, once so strong and confident, reduced to this. "It's just me."

He was still shaking, trapped in the throes of his nightmare. His voice was barely audible. "No… Ansem, stop… please…"

Yuffie grasped his shoulders. "Riku, wake up… it's okay. Ansem is dead. It's me."

His eyes opened and he stared at her for a full minute without realizing who she was, terrified, before a spark of recognition flared in his aquamarine eyes and he relaxed, breathing heavily. "Yuffie?"

"I'm here," Yuffie said, trying to stop her voice from shaking. "It's okay, Riku."

She bowed her head. Whatever Ansem had done to Riku had effectively broken him. He was no longer the capable, independent, fearless person she had known; he was a broken shell of his former self, tormented by nightmares of his former captor which even in waking never fully released him.

Riku closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing, wincing occasionally. After a few moments, he spoke. "Yuffie… do I… scare you?"

She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and sighed. "I'm not scared of you," she murmured finally. "But I'm scared for you."

Riku remained silent for a while. It seemed that speaking took a lot out of him. "I hate being… so afraid…" he whispered after a few minutes. "I _know… _Ansem's gone… but whenever I… think… of him…" A violent shudder ran through his body, and he turned away.

Yuffie rested a hand on Riku's back and realized that he was shaking uncontrollably. She glanced at his face. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Riku closed his eyes tight, shuddering with restrained sobs. "No," he answered quietly. He clenched his fist. "It hurts," he whispered, barely audible. "Yuffie, I… can't…" He flinched and moaned in pain, his breathing shallow and uneven. He rolled onto his back, his head thrown back and his face contorted in pain.

After a moment of hesitation, Yuffie reached out and smoothed back his silver hair, brushing it away from his face. "Riku…" Her throat tightened, but she swallowed hard. "You're going to get better," she told him fiercely. "You're going to be fine, and you're going to see Sora and Kairi again…"

Riku showed no signs of either hearing or feeling her. He clutched at his chest, gasping for breath and whimpering in pain. Sitting next to his bed, Yuffie leaned her head on his shoulder and slipped her arm beneath his neck and around his shoulders, as if in an attempt to support him. "Hold on, Riku," she whispered.

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"Yuffie?" Aerith walked through the house, glancing through open doors. "Yuffie, Leon says we've got to…" The girl cut off suddenly as she took in the scene before her. The young ninja was sitting on the floor, leaning on Riku's bed with her arms around him, fast asleep. Aerith sighed, sadness clouding her eyes. She turned and left.

She entered the cave where she knew Squall would be training, and called to him. "Leon!"

He turned. "Where's Yuffie? Didn't you find her?"

Aerith sighed. "Yes…"

Squall caught the tone in her voice. "It's Riku, isn't it?"

Aerith sat down on the steps, her head in her hands. "Yes. She won't leave his side. I've never seen her show this much… devotion for someone before. I'm worried about them both."

Squall sat next to her, dropping his gunblade and sighing heavily. "The odds are against him. Not many could survive the ordeals he went through… possessed by Ansem… sealed in Kingdom Hearts… It's incredible that he's even alive… and that he's here at all."

Aerith caught her breath. "Sealed…"

"Yes. His heart is strong… but the escape took everything out of him." Squall stood up. "And I'm as worried about Yuffie as you are. But whenever Riku wakes up, he seems to care about her in return. Maybe he needs her."

"Can't we do anything to help him?" Aerith sighed. "I've done everything I can… but it's just not enough…"

"I'll see," Squall said shortly. "For now, Aerith, we need to take care of him… and Yuffie. It's been a strain on her, looking after him as much as she does."

He picked up his weapon and left the cave. Aerith sighed and followed him.


End file.
